harry benton

"Sending the most powerful speaker of the House in the country to prison apparently was not enough of a wakeup call for Illinois Democrats who are continuing the same abuse of power that got Madigan into trouble in the first place." #democrats #ethics #freedomcaucus

The staffer, who once served as an intern in Welch’s office, told the paper she had several interactions with the speaker that made her “uncomfortable” after she left Benton’s staff. #staffer #chriswelch #capitolnewsillinois

Benton’s replacement, Jessica Dixon Heitman, was appointed and sworn in to serve the remainder of the term and is on the November midterm ballot. #centersquare #gop #politics

The staffer, a previous intern for the speaker, also shared evidence of Welch interacting with her on social media in ways that made her feel uncomfortable, such as responding to her photos with heart-eyed emojis. #staffer #complaint #centersquare

The two-term lawmaker with a union background as an ironworker resigned Friday and said he’ll suspend his reelection campaign, pulling his name from the November ballot. #centersquare #democrats #transparency

In a letter addressed to Welch and his House colleagues, the Plainfield Democrat said his resignation was effective at 4:59 p.m. Friday and that he also intends to withdraw his name as the Democratic nominee of the 97th House District in the upcoming election. #resignation #ballot #invstigation